The Problem with Leaving
by InLovingMemory
Summary: What if Letty wasn't ready to forgive Dom yet? What happens if it takes longer for her to let him back in and get back to where they were before. Set after F8.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm new at this and this is my first fanfic. All feedback is welcomed.**

Letty pulled into the parking lot next to Dom's Charger. Looking over she saw Dom laying on the hood of the car, staring up at the sky. Taking a few deep breaths, she cut the ignition and leaned back into the seat. It had been a week since they had gotten back home with Dom and Marcus. It was about time to have that talk about the ever-present elephant in the room. Taking one last glance at Dom, she gathered up her courage and got out of the car.

"I want to know why, Dom." Letty said calmly,

"Letty, I put my family first! Always!" Dom insisted, "I couldn't leave him with Cipher. It was too dangerous to let her keep him. I had to make a call! I don't regret getting him back."

"I know you don't. But not telling the team? You knew you could have told us. We could have made a plan to get him back. You didn't have to cut us out!" Letty snapped, "And as for putting your family first. What about me, Dom! What about me!"

"I couldn't think of you. Not when Elena and my son were out there and they needed me!" Dom yelled.

"I know that! You think I don't?" Letty shouted, "But you could have trusted us. You could have at least told me. I am your family, and you couldn't have enough faith in me to help you get them back."

"I needed to do it alone. I had to get both of them back, alone. That was my responsibility." Dom said.

"And look where that got you." She mumbled. "She's gone, Dom. She's gone because you didn't let us in on your plan to get them back. You, me, Hobbs, the entire team would have done everything in our power to get Elena and Marcus back. If you would have let us."

"I wasn't putting you and the team in Cipher's way." He said.

"I couldn't let what happened to Elena and Marcus happen to you! The team can forgive what happened in time. But if something would have happened to you while I was trying to get them back, I couldn't live with myself. So, I went alone. I did everything in my power to protect them. I failed Elena. But I got my son back." Dom told her, "I just hope I didn't destroy us in the process."

"You made that choice, Dom. Not me. Now, you have to live with it. As for destroying us. Almost everything can be fixed with time." Letty said walking back to her car.

"But right now, it may be best if you didn't come back home. You have to find yourself before we can fix us." She added, opening the door to her car and reaching inside, "Here! Don't forget this." She called throwing something in Dom's direction and sliding into the seat.

Catching it, he opened his hand revealing the cross they had shared for almost 16 years; their wedding band. Looking up he watched her slam the door, start up the Mustang and peel out of the parking lot. Leaving Dom to watch her headlights fade into the night. It took everything he had not to go after her and shake her until she understood why he had done what he had. Because she knew. She understood. But she couldn't believe that he had that part inside him. That part that could hide the most important part of his life away from the most important person in his universe. It was that, that she couldn't understand. It was going to take her some time to get past that. Turning around he got into his car and left, not knowing where he was going. Not far, he wasn't leaving Marcus behind. Not when he just got him back. But for now, he would be safe with Mia and Letty.


	2. Chapter 2

Pulling into the drive Letty cut the engine and leaned back into the seat, letting her tears go. She didn't want to make Dom leave. Not when she had just gotten him back. Right now, she just couldn't trust that he could be completely honest with her, or anyone for that matter. Wiping away her tears she pulled herself together and walked into the house.

"Letty, where is he? You were supposed to bring him home!" Mia said when Letty walked through the door alone.

"He isn't coming home tonight, Mia." She sighed falling into a chair, "He knows that I can't trust him yet."

"What about Marcus?" Mia asked, nodding at the baby.

"He's coming back. Just not tonight." Letty replied walking over to the baby in the high chair and picking him up, "No one could keep him from this little guy if they tried."

"Letty, you have to talk to him. Work this out. You know we- "

"Don't turn our back on family. I know! I just can't yet. He got in touch with Deckard, Shaw, Hell, even their mother! But he couldn't get any information to us. To me. To let us know. I can't understand that yet." She explained, walking to the stairs with the baby.

"Mia, I'm not going to never let him come home. Just, not tonight. That's all." She told her, walking up the stairs. "Before he comes back, he has to find himself and figure out why he couldn't trust us enough to tell us about Elena and Marcus. He knows this."

"Okay" Mia replied curling back up on the couch. "Just, make sure he comes home. Don't keep him away too long. We need him here."

"I know. I want him home, too." Letty told her, pulling Marcus in closer and heading upstairs.

Closing the bedroom door behind them, Letty paced the length of the room she shared with Dom. Bouncing the baby to sleep. The baby was curled into her arms gripping her black tank top in both hands. It was like he was refusing to let her go. Gently she peeled his little fingers away from her shirt and laid him in his crib. Once he was down she just stared at him for a minute. He looked so much like Dominic. This little guy was definitely a Toretto. Same tan skin, dark eyes. Little Marcus had caught her heart as soon as she laid eyes on him. He had that Toretto charm. Just like Dom. Tearing up she pushed herself away from the crib, changed and slid into bed, wishing that even after all that had gone down, that Dom were beside her. Slowly she gave in to her tears and just let them flow. Sometimes, even the strongest of people have to let their emotions take over. Once her tears stopped, sleep overcame her and she gave in without a fight.


	3. Chapter 3

Staring up at the ceiling of his hotel room, Dom debated getting back up and going home. It was strange being in a bed without Letty, being in a room without Marcus being not three feet away. It was a needed separation. If he couldn't trust his team or his wife then somewhere along the way he took a very wrong turn. When you can trust criminals, who have tried to kill you, before you can trust family, then it was a worse decision than he had thought. Rolling over he grabbed his phone. Hesitating before he hit the video call button next to her name.

"Dom. It's late." Letty whispered, staring at the screen of her phone.

"I know. I couldn't sleep." He replied, noticing her puffy eyes.

"What do you need Dom?" She asked quietly, looking over at Marcus.

"I needed. Wanted to see you. Make sure you're alright." He said.

"I'm fine. Got home safe. As you can see." Letty whispered. Hearing Marcus start to whimper she leaned the phone on the dresser and picked up the baby.

Dom watched as she swayed side to side attempted to lull Marcus back to sleep. He couldn't help but smile, she was a natural with him.

"Oh, now you want to be awake." Letty smiled down at the little boy in her arms. "Fine. Let's go see your dad." She said, walking back over to the phone. Picking it up she moved back to the bed, switching on the lamp as she sat down with Marcus. Propping up the phone against the pillows she turned the baby around to face the screen.

"Say hi to daddy." Letty told the little boy.

"Hey little man." He said, smiling at the baby. "How is he doing?"

"He's alright. He misses you. He knows you aren't here right now." Letty replied, bouncing Marcus on her knee.

"You know I want to. It's because of you asking me that I'm not." Dom said, looking away.

"We aren't getting into that right now. Not with Marcus here." She whispered quietly.

Staring at the screen of his phone Dom watched Letty gather the little one in her arms and begin rocking him. Watching her lull him back to sleep within minutes. Smiling sadly, he watched her put him back in his crib and come back over to the bed.

"I know. I just… Goodnight Letty. Kiss Marcus for me." Dom whispered, hanging up the phone not waiting for a response.

Closing his eyes Dom willed the pain to go away. He was slowly starting to understand what he had done when he chose not to trust Letty. It broke her trust in him. And he couldn't blame her. She deserved to be upset; to be broken. He just prayed to God that he could put her back together once he got back home. She was right though, he did need to find himself. He needed to figure out where he went wrong in thinking that his family, his team, couldn't help him when they have proved countless times otherwise, that he could. Once he found that part of him, and fixed it, maybe they could begin mending the space that had formed between them.

Every time he closed his eyes, he saw her puffy red eyes. The Letty he knew, the Letty he had known for over 16 years; she never cried. Not over him anyways. It killed him that he was the cause of her tears. That his actions had hurt her that much. Squeezing his eyes tight, he tried to prevent his own tears. She deserved better than what he had down. They all did. Rolling over he plugged his phone in and set it on the bedside table. Laying back against the pillows he said a soft prayer. One that would help him find his way, back to himself, and back to Letty and Marcus. Until then, he was better off doing this alone. If he wanted to keep his son safe, he wouldn't drag him along on this journey. His path to redemption.


	4. Chapter 4

Letty woke up to Mia banging on her door. "Letty! Get up! Letty, come on!" She yelled.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" Letty demanded, flinging the door open. "It's six in the morning. What is so important that you needed to try and wake up Marcus?"

"Because it's about Marcus." Mia whispered, tears in her eyes. "Letty, it's Cipher. She's downstairs. She has him. Again."

"She can't have him!" Letty hissed pulling a pair of jeans and her jacket on. "She already took his mother from him. She can't have him too. And she sure as hell isn't taking him from Dom."  
Grabbing her boots she slipped past Mia and down the stairs.

Once she got to the last step she saw her. Baby Marcus in her arms, sleeping, oblivious to everything going on around him.

"Cipher." Letty growled, crossing the living room to where she stood in the kitchen.

"Oh, she's intuitive." Cipher stated. "But she isn't smart enough to have known when I walked through that door and took this baby right from beside her bed.

"Tsk tsk tsk. You should have known that I would be back. I wasn't done with Dominic just yet." Cipher said, turning her back on Letty.

"You have no right to hold him!" Letty growled at Cipher. "Give him back!"

"Oh. I don't think I will. See, as long as I am holding him, you will do everything it takes to keep him safe. See, you may not be his mother by birth, but you are the woman who will raise him and call him your own. You wouldn't do anything to put this child in harm's way. Which is why, until you call Dominic and get him back over here, the child will remain in my arms. He is currently the only thing that is going to help me get what I want." Cipher explained.

Dropping her boots to the floor, sliding her feet into them. Mia slowly walked up behind her, pushing the cold metal of her nine millimeter into her hand. Quickly tucking the gun into her belt at her back, she started walking towards Cipher.

"Not another step, Leticia." Cipher warned, turning around with a gun pointed at her. "You will do as I say or you will definitely not like what happens to this child.

"What do you want?" Mia demanded, tears falling down her cheeks.

"Like I said before. I want Dominic. He and I have unfinished business and I'm not leaving here without him." Cipher said coldly. "If he doesn't come here. You will never see this child again." She threatened.

"Letty!" Mia whispered. "Call Dom. You can't let her take him."

Reaching into her pocket Letty pulled out her phone. Dialing Dom's cell. Tears threatening to spill over as she listened to the phone ring in her ear.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks everyone for all the love and feedback on this story! This chapter I feel like is going to be really long to compared to the others. I'm hoping to keep the rest of the chapters about the same length, but we will see how it goes. Feel free to PM me anything that you think could help the story. I'm open to ideas, especially when I get a bit of writer's block.**

Hearing his phone ring, Dom grabbed it, looking at the caller ID, Letty. There was only one reason she would be calling this early after asking him to leave.

"Letty? What's wrong. Is Marcus okay?" Dom asked as soon as he picked up the call.

"Dom. It's Cipher. She's got Marcus." Letty said, voice cracking.

Dom bolted out of the bed. Throwing on his jeans and boots, phone pressed between his shoulder and his ear.

"What do you mean 'She has Marcus'?" He demanded angrily. "He was supposed to be safe with you!"

Dom saw red. He had just gotten his son back. Just got him out of Cipher's reach. She couldn't have him. Not this time.

"She somehow got into the house." Letty replied anger growing in her voice. "She came in while we were asleep and took him."

"Took him! Took him where?" Dom roared into the phone.

"She is still here. She still has him." Letty told him.

Grabbing his keys, Dom ran out to his car. Turning the key in the ignition, she roared to life. Opening the glove compartment, he grabbed the bullets for the shotgun laying in the passenger seat, quickly loading it. The bitch couldn't have Marcus, not this time. He would make sure of it.

"Letty, don't take your eyes off of her. Cipher's unstable. You can't leave him alone with her. You don't know what she is capable of." Dom said, his voiced strained.

"I know exactly what she capable of." Letty sneered. "She's done this before remember. Just get your ass back here and help us get Marcus back. We can't do this without you."

"I'm five minutes out." Dom replied, up-shifting and speeding up. Begging his car to go faster. "And Letty?"

"Yeah?"

"If she tries to hurt him; kill her." Dom said hanging up the phone.

Urging his car to go faster, he took every curve at a blinding speed. Cipher being back and taking his son hostage could only mean one thing. She wasn't done with him yet. She had yet another plan to tear him from his family, up her sleeve. That could be her only reasoning behind showing back up.

Pulling up the driveway to the house, Dom locked down his brakes. Skidding to a stop at the porch steps. Not even turning off the car, he grabbed the gun and headed for the door. Slamming through the front door he took in the scene in front of him. The three ladies standing in a triangle, staring each other down. Cipher pointing a gun at Letty, while holding Marcus. Mia, standing close to Letty, watching Cipher's every move, hand at Letty's back near what could only be the outline of a gun.

"Cipher!" Dom's voiced roared.

"Will you look at that." Cipher glanced over at Dom, gun still aimed at Letty. "He does come when he is called."

"Give me back my son!" he yelled walking closer to the three women.

"It's not the easy, Dominic." Cipher said.

"It's exactly that easy." He said, raising the gun level with her head. "Give me back my son. Now!" He screamed.

"Oh, now Dom. You know I can't do that. Then I lose all of my leverage." She said, glancing down at the sleeping baby.

"I can't give him back just yet. You haven't even asked why I'm here yet." She said.

"I don't care why you're here!" He said through clenched teeth, staring her down. "This is the last time you use my son against me!"

"Be careful what you say Dom. You may just get what your wish for." Cipher returned, moving the gun from Letty to the baby. "I had no problems the last time we played this game. Don't think that all of a sudden I would put someone else's life before my cause."

Red began playing on the edges of Dom's vision. She knew just what cards to play and when to lay them down in this game. She knew that by turning her gun on Marcus, he there wasn't a thing he wouldn't do to keep him safe.

Dom lowered his gun. "What do you want? Why are you back?" he demanded, walking closer.

"I want you, Dom. Just you. I'm not done with our work yet." Cipher said, moving backwards to a chair. "You turned on me before I could complete my plan."

"What plan? We destroyed that sub. You're finished." He told her.

"That's where you're wrong." She replied. "I'm certainly not finished. I have more planned and you are going to help me."

"Regardless of how you feel about me. You will do this." Cipher said. Looking up from the baby.

"Okay. Just give back Marcus." He said, staring her down.

"Dom!" Mia cried, turning to face him.

"Mia, it's okay." He told her. "I'll go."

"Dom." Letty exclaimed.

"Letty, take care of him." Dom said. Walking over to the Mia, he pulled her into a hug. "Mia, go home. The kids need you. There's nothing else you can do here."

"But Dom." She whispered.

"Mia, no. I need you to go. I need you safe." Dom told her, pulling her into another strong embrace. "Go, now."

Letting go, Dom pushed his sister towards the stairs. Eyes burning with tears. He was being forced to leave his family, again. It was destroying him inside. Turning back around to face Cipher he glared at her.

"Give me back my son, Cipher!" He growled.

"Put down your gun and I will." She stated coolly.

Slowly, Dom put his shotgun on the floor. Using the tip of his boot to push it towards the couch. Once the weapon was out of reach, Cipher walked to Dom and gave him Marcus. Still sleeping soundly. Still blissfully unaware of everything happening around him. Pulling the little one in close, he held on to him firmly. Knowing this might be the last time he would see his son for a while. Letty walks over, standing by his side, watching him hold Marcus tight, trying to keep the tears from falling.

"I'm coming with you."

Dom looked at the woman standing next to him. He couldn't have heard her right.

"Oh, really." Cipher smiled. "I guess I could use you as well."

"No! You have to stay here. Marcus needs you." Dom said.

"He needs his father more." She said, standing firm. "I told you. Where you go. I go. You aren't leaving me behind this time. I'm going to make sure that you come back to him. You owe him that."

"He can come with me." Mia said, standing at the top of the stairs. "He can stay with Brian and I until you get back."

Coming down the stairs, she stood by the couple.

"Let me take him. You two just worry about coming home. Together."

Reaching for the baby, Dom gave him one last squeeze goodbye, and gave his son to his sister.

"We will be back soon. Don't let him get to comfortable with you and Brian." He joked, tears still in his eyes.

Pulling a bag out of the closet, Mia headed back upstairs to pack a bag for Marcus. Five minutes later she comes downstairs, bags and Marcus in tow. Giving Letty and Dom a hug she heads for the door.

"Be safe. Come back home." Mia called, opening the front door. "He needs you. Both of you."

With one last small smile, Mia walks out, closing the door behind her. Hearing the doors slam and car start in the driveway Dom and Letty turned back around to face Cipher. Leaning against a chair, she looked almost bored. Blonde braids falling over her shoulder, she looked like an annoyed teenager.

"Looks like you won't be completely forgetting your code this time, Dom." Cipher stated.

"Blow me, bitch." Letty snarled before Dom could speak.

Glancing over at Letty, Cipher looked amused. Smiling and shaking her head she looked around the house.

"We need to leave." Cipher told them, leading the way out the front door. Turning around on the porch she waited for them to follow.

"Follow in your car." She told Dom. "You'll need your own for this one."

Walking over to the neighbor's driveway she climbed behind the wheel of Jeep Wrangler. Backing out of the drive she rolled down her window.

"Try and be inconspicuous, Dom. We don't need any company tonight." She rolled the window back up and waited for them to back out.

Climbing into the Charger, Letty and Dom follow the Jeep's taillights into the dark.


	6. Chapter 6

"What are we gonna do, Dom?" Letty asked, pulling the gun from behind her back and sitting it in her lap.

"We're going to have to make a plan. Once we figure out what hers is." He told her, glancing at the gun.

"Why didn't you use that tonight?" He asked her.

"It wouldn't have ended well. She had Marcus too close. I couldn't have gotten a clean shot without hurting him. It wasn't worth it."

Dom didn't say a word. He just stared out the windshield, following Cipher's taillights. Letty glanced over at him, trying to see what he was thinking. His jaw was set, teeth clenched together, completely ignoring her for the moment. She could tell he was thinking something. She could see it in his eyes.

"Spit it out, Dom!" Letty told him, voice on edge.

"What?" He asked her.

"You're thinking something. Obviously, it's nothing good. So, what it is?" She said.

"You don't want me to answer that right now." Dom warned her, eyes flashing.

"Oh, no? Are you sure? Because we are following the woman who took Marcus from you once and held him hostage and turned you on everyone. We are going to help her instead of keeping our family together. She is breaking us apart, again! So, if we can't talk about this, now, without being around her, then when can we talk about it!" Letty yelled at him. "When is it going to be a good time!"

"You want to know what I'm thinking? Fine!" He yelled back at her. "I think this is your fault! Marcus was with you! You were the one in the room with him! You were the one that should have woken up as soon as that door opened! You should have known she was there! You should have done better!"

The tension in the car could have been cut with a knife. Neither said a word. The only sound was the engine and the two breathing. Struggling to keep calm, Letty looked straight ahead, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.

"So, that's what you think, huh?" She asked him, her voice cold as steel. "You think that since I was in the room with him, that I should have heard everything going on. You think that I have the instincts to wake up to the sound of a door opening? You think that I wanted Cipher to come and try to take Marcus!"

Letty slowly turned around in her seat to face Dom. Dom glanced at his wife, for just a second, taking his eyes off the road. Flames were playing in her eyes. In that moment, he knew, he had pressed her self-destruct button. There was no fixing what he had said. Nothing could change the fact that he had just told his wife, the most important person in his universe, that she had purposefully tried to put his son in harm's way. Looking at her one last time, he saw the tears glistening on her cheeks. He could tell if she was crying because she was angry or because she was upset with him. But the one thing he did know, was that it was going to take a whole hell of a lot more than figuring out why he couldn't trust her, for her to take him back this time.

"Letty?"

"No! You don't get to talk to me like that. You don't get to act sad because you said exactly how you feel about me." Letty growled.

"Letty?" He said, reaching for her hand. "That's not what I meant!"

"Really? Because I think that is exactly what you meant!" Letty countered. "You think I wanted this to happen? That I wanted Marcus to be taken by her. You don't think that I am able to watch out for him because he isn't mine."

"That's not what I meant!" Dom yelled. "Not for a second, have I thought that you would be anything but a mother to him! He needs you just as much as I do!"

"You sure about that? Because what I'm hearing is that you can't trust me with him." Letty snapped.

Turning back around, Letty leaned back into the seat, running her hands through her hair and over her eyes. Wiping the tears off her cheeks, she just stared out the window.

"I didn't ask for this, Dom." She told him quietly. "I never asked to become a mother to your kid that wasn't ours. I didn't sign up for that."  
"I know." He replied, voice gruff.

"I know that I told you "Where you go, I go. You fight, I fight" and I meant that, until the very end. You cannot, however, expect me to be Elena." Letty whispered. "I am not a mother. I wanted kids one day. I wanted kids with you. This is not how I saw this turning out."

"Where does that leave us?" Dom asked, turning to see the tears falling down her face again.

"I can't be a mother to Marcus, Dom. I can't. I'm not Elena, and I'm not going to pretend to be. I love Marcus, I really do. I would do anything for him. But I can't be a mother to him, if you are constantly going to be on my case about him."

The lights of passing cars light up her face as they pass. She looks like someone just ripped her whole world from her.

"Letty, no." Dom slowed the car down, gaining Cipher's attention ahead. "Please, don't say it. Don't do what I think you're going to do." He begged her.

Cipher pulled her car into the nearest pull-off up ahead, queuing Dom to follow her.

"Dom."

"Letty, don't, please." He whispered, tears falling down his cheeks.

"Dom, I can't." Letty whispered back. "I can't trust you to have faith in me, with anything. You don't even trust me with Marcus. I couldn't stop what happened tonight. I couldn't even tell you how Cipher got into the house, much less how she got by me without waking me up to take Marcus. But, that doesn't matter to you. All you saw was Cipher holding Marcus and you jumped to conclusions that it was my fault."

Having stopped the car, Cipher got out and leaned against the Jeep, waiting for the two to stop talking. Dom turned around to face Letty. She refused to look him in the eye, instead staring at the back of the jeep in front of them.

"How can I fix this? What will make you stay?" Dom pleaded with her, not bothering to hide his tears.

"There's no fixing this, right now. And as far as 'what will make me stay'. I don't know. What I do know, is that I can't ride with someone who can't trust me. If you can't trust me with Marcus, then you can't trust me at all." Letty leaned over close to him, putting her hands on either side of his face. "Dom, I love you. I really do. But until you figure out why you can't trust me, we can't do this together."

Leaning his head forward, he touched his forehead to hers. Wrapping his large, calloused hands around her smaller ones. Wrapping his fingers around hers, he pulled one of her hands to his lips, kissing her knuckles, rubbing his thumb over the callouses on her fingers that matched his own.

"Please, don't go. Don't ride with her." He pleaded one last time.

"I have to." She told him.

Squeezing her eyes shut, she willed the tears to stop flowing. She hated looking weak in front of him. Rubbing her thumb across his cheek, she leaned in and kissed his lips. Opening her eyes, she wiped away the tears running down his cheeks. Looking him in the eyes, Letty saw how much this was hurting him, it was hurting her just as much. Giving Dom one last kiss, she let her hand linger on his cheek. Hoping that he knew she was in just as much pain as him. She just couldn't show it.

"I love you." She whispered, pulling her hands out of his.

Grabbing her gun and tucking it in her jacket, she pulled on the door handle.

"Letty! Wait!" Dom said quickly.

Looking back, Letty watched Dom remove the cross from around his neck. Grabbing her left hand, Dom placed the cross in her palm, wrapping the chain around her knuckles.

"Don't forget. I love you!" Dom said, voice gruff. "Please, be careful. I can't lose you again."

Letty looked down at the silver chain and cross in her hand. Her eyes beginning to burn and sting, tears threatening to expose her. Pushing the door open, Letty got out of the car, took one last look at her husband, and walked over to the Jeep.

"Are we ready?" Cipher asked, walking to her door.

"Shut up." Letty growled, moving to the passenger side of the Jeep.

Climbing into the Jeep, Letty closed the door. Looking in the mirror on her door, she saw Dom scrubbing the tears from his face. The light in his eyes gone. She broke his heart, but not as badly as she had just broken her own. Pulling her left hand to her chest, she squeezed the pendant tightly in her hand. Cipher glanced at her, not saying anything. Most likely, she didn't care. Cipher started the engine and pulled back out onto the road, driving back into the dark.

"Look, I don't care what just happened back there." Cipher told Letty. "I just need to know if I can count on the both of you to get this job done."

"We'll get it done." Letty replied, voice emotionless.

"Good. Don't let this hinder what we are going to do."

"I said. That we will get it done!" Letty growled. "Leave it alone!"

"Fine." Cipher said coolly, letting the conversation drop.

Curling up on the seat, Letty looked out the window in front of her. Finally, the tears broke free and she did nothing to stop them. She hadn't cried like this before. These were tears of loss. She had just lost her best friend, her husband, and the most important person in her life, all at once. And she was afraid that it was all her fault.

About an hour into the ride with Cipher, Letty fell asleep, crying had worn her out. Through it all, Cipher said nothing. She just let the woman next to her let out her tears in silence. As soon as she fell asleep, she let out a deep breath, she had forgotten what it was like to see someone so upset over someone else. It was hard to watch, even for someone whom had 'cut off' her emotions.

Looking at the GPS on the dash, she kept following the red line that was leading them to their destination. Another two hours to go and they would pull up to the house she had stashed away further up the California coast. Another two hours, and she could get out of the car she shared with this woman. She wanted nothing more than to be rid of her. She was bringing out emotions that she hadn't felt in years. Predominantly, pity. She didn't want to pity this woman she had never met. It wasn't in her nature to do so. Pressing her foot further down on the gas, she sped up the Jeep, if only to get to the house faster.


	7. Chapter 7

Dom followed the Jeep up the road. He couldn't shake the feeling that he had screwed up and she wasn't coming back to him. Ever. Overhead, lightening split the sky and thunder rumbled, shaking the car. A few seconds later, fat raindrops started dropping onto the car. Staring up, he just watched the rain for a second. It seemed fitting that it would start to rain, right after that fight. Tears began making his eyes burn. Screaming, he slammed his fists on the steering wheel.

He hated that Cipher had come back. This was her fault. All of it. She was the reason he left the first time. Again, she was the reason this time. The only difference was that Letty had come along to make sure he came back home this time. That he didn't completely eradicate his relationship with the team again. She came with him to be his light. She was brought light to his otherwise dark life. She was everything to him. He majorly screwed with that tonight, accusing her of not wanting to keep Marcus safe. Taking one hand off the wheel, he ran it over his eyes.

"What the hell did I do?" Dom breathed, putting his hand back on the wheel.

A few hours later, he followed Cipher's Jeep down a long road that lead to a cabin set back into the woods. Parking beside the Jeep, Dom climbed out of the Charger and slammed the door. Leaning over the top of the car, he looked inside the other vehicle to see Cipher shaking Letty's shoulder. She must have fallen asleep on the way. Seeing her jump awake, Dom pushed off the car and walked over to wait for the two women; one, the love of his life, and the other, the woman he most loved to hate.

Once out of the Jeep, Cipher lead the way up the set of stairs that lead to the front door. Unlocking the door, she stopped and turned off the silent alarm she had rigged in case someone was to come in while she was gone. Looking around, Dom took note of everything in the room around them. Computers were scattered across the living room, wires crisscrossing the floor, in one of the corners sat multiple weapons cases. Looking over at Cipher she smiled.

"Now you didn't think that I had everything stashed away on that plane, now did you."

Dom didn't reply.

"It's late." He heard Letty say behind him. "Where do we sleep?" She asked Cipher.

He turned around, looking at his wife. She looked exhausted, eyes red and swollen, leaning against the railing to the stairs. She glanced over at Dom, not saying a word.

"Upstairs." Cipher told her.

Brushing past him, Letty disappeared up the steps. Once out of sight, he turned back to Cipher.

"What do you need us for?" Dom asked tiredly, walking over to the couch and leaning against it.

"I don't need her, Dom." She told him. "I need you. You destroyed my plans the last time. This is you fixing them."

"Why is she here then?" He asked her.

"Because she keeps you in line. I wouldn't have let her come here if she wasn't useful." She said, flipping the locks to the door.

Moving over behind the blonde, he leaned close to her ear.

"You will not tear me from her again. You won't turn her against me." He growled.

"Oh, Dom." Cipher said coldly. "From what I saw back on the road, you have done that yourself. But You can blame me if you would like."

Turning around to face him, she looked him in the eyes. "She was the one that got into my car at that stop. She was the one the cried until she fell asleep on the way here. I wasn't the cause of that."

"Like hell you weren't!" He yelled at her. "You taking Marcus and forcing me to come here. That! That is what caused that!"

"Oh, really. So, when I gave him back and he left with your sister, that caused an argument." She stated. "I can see that. I can see you being upset about me being about to even get by Letty without waking her up, in order to get the child." She moved closer to Dom.

"What I did not do, was force the words out of your mouth to that woman. That, Dominic Toretto, was all on you." She whispered in his ear.

Moving away from Dom, she walked across the room to a door. Opening it halfway, she looked back at him.

"If you don't want to turn against you completely, I suggest you find a way to fix whatever the hell you did."

Sliding into the room, she shut and locked the door behind her. After the door closed, Dom stood in the living room for a few more moments. She was right. He blamed Cipher, but she didn't make him say those things to Letty. Shaking his head, he walked over to the stairs, taking another look around the room. Computers, wires, a couch and a table, and the weapons cases took up most of the room. There wasn't anything in the room that revealed that a person lived there other than that. No pictures, no rugs, blankets. It was barren. It was as if Cipher stayed prepared to leave at any given time.

Turning back around, he headed up the stairs. Turning the knob on the first door he found, he felt no give. Locked. Letty must have taken this one and locked it to keep him out. Moving to the next one he found it was unlocked, flipping the light on he took in the room. A queen size bed was set against the far wall, a side table and lamp beside it, a set of blackout curtains over the only window, and a dresser was tucked into a corner and that was it. Moving to the bed, he turned the lamp on and cut off the overhead light. Pulling the corner of the comforter down, he removed his boots and shirt. Setting his keys and phone on the side table, he took his jeans off and tossed them into a corner. Leaning back, he cut the light off and tried to get some sleep.

Next door, Letty laid on her bed, feeling the empty space next to her that Dom usually occupied. She didn't realize just how wrong it felt to sleep without him next to her and without Marcus snoring across the room. She just stared at the ceiling, waiting for sleep to take back over.

After about an hour, she aborted trying to sleep alone. She may not be able to handle their problems right now, but she didn't have to sleep alone. Walking over to her door, she unlocked it and slipped down the hall. Opening the door to Dom's room, she sidled over to the bed.

"Letty?" Dom whispered.

"Yeah. I can't sleep alone." She said, voice raspy.

He moved over in the bed and held the blankets open for her. Sliding between the sheets she laid down and put her back to him.

"Letty?" Dom said again

"No. I can't sleep without you being here. I didn't say we were going to deal with this now." She said quietly. "Go to sleep."

Staring at his wife's back, he waited a few moments. Understanding that she wasn't willing to put up with him yet, he rolled his back to her. Before long, he heard he breaths even out. She had fallen asleep. Turning back to her, he tried to do the same. Instead, he just laid there, staring around the room. Eventually, falling asleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Letty came down the stairs later that day to see Cipher sitting on the couch.

"What time is it?" She asked, boots barely making a sound on the stairs.

"Almost one. Coffee is in the kitchen." She told her, barely glancing up at her entrance.

Without a word, she passed by her and started searching for a mug. Hearing the noise, Cipher walked in and opened a cabinet, passing Letty a mug. Nodding in thanks, she grabbed the carafe, filling the mug with coffee.

"Why did you do it?" She asked.

"Do what?" Cipher questioned.

"Don't play that game with me. I see right through you." She told the woman. "Why did you come back? You had the perfect escape to not be seen again. What was so important that you had to drag him into this again?"

"What was so important? Cipher asked her. "I think I will wait for Dom to get down here before I get into that."

With that, Cipher disappeared into her room, presumably to get dressed. Hearing footsteps, Letty looked up, Dom was coming down the stairs. He looked at Letty from across the room, sadness written on his face. Shaking it off, he walked by her to get his own coffee. Together, they drank in silence while waiting for Cipher.

Ten minutes passed and she finally emerged from her room, and started packing up all the equipment around them. Closing the weapons cases, grabbing laptops and tossing them into a bin, it took maybe twenty minutes, top, to put away and stack into a corner of the room. Walking past them, Cipher grabbed the mugs from their hands and tossed the drinks down the drain and rinsing them out. Drying them out with a rag she turned around to face them.

"What!" She demanded.

"I wasn't done." Dom replied.

Placing the mugs back into the cabinet she grabbed her keys.

"Let's go."

"Wait a minute." He told her, grabbing her arm.

"We don't have a minute, Toretto. My team will be here in three minutes to get those cases and take them to the airfield. Now, let's go." She said, jerking her arm out of his hand.

Looking over at Letty, she just shrugged her shoulders and followed her out the door. Digging his keys out of his pocket, he followed.

"What airfield?" He asked.

"Wouldn't you like to know. Just follow me there." Cipher said.

"Riding with me or him?" She asked Letty, nodding her head in his direction.

Without a word, Letty climbed back into the Jeep. She wasn't willing to deal with last night just yet. It could wait a little while longer. Cipher climbed in and gestured for Dom to follow her out of the driveway. Releasing the breath, he didn't realize he had been holding, he put his car into gear and followed them. It felt like déjà vu all over again. Only this time, she didn't have his son. Just the ability to come back and do this all again if they left.

Fifteen minutes into the drive, Cipher turned onto a dirt road and lead them to what looked like an abandoned airfield. Down the runway was a militarized aircraft. Following the Jeep, he started down the runway towards it, following it right into the bay of the plane. Getting out of the cars, they followed Cipher up the cargo bay to the front end of the plane. As they reached the doors, another car pulled into the bay and the door closed behind them. Turning back around, they followed her through the door.

"So, what is this? A military jet?" Letty questioned.

"It looks that way, but no. There's more room on this baby than that." Cipher replied, leading them down a hallway.

Opening the door at the end of the hall, was a brightly lit room, couches, tables, coffee maker on a counter in the corner. It was built like a living room. Dom looked around, taking it all in, yep, it was almost exactly like the last plane. The only exception was a larger cargo hold.

"Welcome to your new home for the time being." Cipher told them. "Your bunks are down the hall on the left. Make yourself at home." She told them, disappearing down the hall.

Moving to one of the couches, Dom laid down. Waiting.

"What are you doing?" Letty asked him.

"Waiting. Everyone is here yet." He told her.

"How do you know?"

"We aren't in the air yet."

At that, the door they came in through slammed open.

"I'm sick of this game, man. She's got us by the balls and won't let go." A guy was ranting to two others, walking backwards into the room holding his junk.

"Gentleman, there's a lady present." Dom yelled across the room.

"Oh, I'd hardly call myself a lady." Letty said, turning to face the men.

Turning around, the guy let go of his pants and looked at who had just spoken.

"Leon." Letty whispered.

Hearing the name, Dom jumped off the couch and moved beside her.

"Look what the cat dragged in." Leon sneered.

"What have you gotten yourself into?" Letty asked. "Last time I saw you, you dropped me off at the airport and we never saw you again."

"This happened." Leon told her, gesturing around the plane. "Cipher got all of us. Somehow, she has dirt on all of us. Unlike you, we can't get out that easily."

Brushing by Dom, Leon heading down the hall Cipher had left down. The other two men crashing on the couches, watching him go.

"Who are you?" Letty asked them.

"Jake."

"Austin."

"That all we're going to get out of you?" Dom asked.

"That's all you need to know" Jake told him.

Ignoring the short answers, Dom laid back on the couch, closing his eyes.

"If you're going to sleep, go to your bunk, man." Leon said, shoving Dom's feet off the couch.

"Maybe I will." He said, getting up and leaving the room.

Letty watched him as he left, still manning her spot on the floor.

"Why are you here, Letty?" Leon questioned her. "This ain't your scene, girl."

"I'm making sure he comes back. I'm here for him."

"And she let you come along for the ride." He shook his head. "That don't sound like her."

Laughing, the other guys just shook their heads in agreement.

"I take it they don't talk much." She asked, nodding towards the guys.

"No, they don't. Not to you anyways." He told her.

"Why's that?"

"They don't know you. We've been stuck with this crazy broad for almost ten years. We're family." He whispered.

"Yeah? So were we." She said and walked down the hall to the bunks.

"Nah, we were a team. There's a difference." He called after her.

She took the first left she saw and walked into the bunk room. Dom was leaning against a bed when she walked in.

"I can't do this." He told her. "There has to be rooms on this thing."

"It's a plane, Dom." She told him, moving to stand in front of him.

"And we both know that's not what you're mad about." She whispered.

"You know too much." He whispered, looking down at her.

"You couldn't have known about this. There was nothing you could do to prevent Leon from being a part of this." She told him.

"No? If we hadn't pulled that job, none of this would've happened." He said.

"Jesse would still be alive, Leon wouldn't be in the mess. Vince wouldn't be dead." Dom ran his hands over his face.

"You never would have gone undercover for the Feds." Dom cupped her cheek in his hand. "You never would have gotten in that accident and lost your memory."

"We make mistakes, Dom. We all made decisions that would've lead us right where we are right now." She told him. "We have to face those decisions, eventually."

"You're right." He said, dropping his hand.

He turned and laid down on one of the beds. Reaching out, he grabbed Letty's hand, pulling her over to the bed. Sitting down, she stared at him.

"This doesn't change anything. You still have to figure out what's going on with you. Until then, I'm crashing on one of the couches. The beds in here are all taken if you include the other three." She told him, standing back up and walking to the door.

"We'll figure this out." She whispered. "We always do." And she left the room, closing the door behind her.

 ***The writers block has been real this past week. If anyone has any ideas to further the story, PM me. I'm open to all ideas y'all have for me.***


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